"Nah," Max says nonchalantly, "I'm closer." He lays his book upside down on the arm of the couch to save his place and crosses over to the desk, a little quicker than he might naturally just to keep Andrew from trying to head him off.

As he hands over the pad and pencil, he adds, "Help yourself to more if you need it. And you can always ask me for clarification if something in there doesn't make sense. I'm not a professional author by any means."